Man City's striker Erling Haaland did not regret a speech with coach Mikel Arteta last season, but he admitted to the actions that he wished he could do differently.
Last season, the fact that Haaland scored 31 goals was “passed in silence” than usual. If including FIFA Club World Cup, the number is more, but Man City does not consider the tournament as part of the season so we also temporarily ignore.
Haaland had a dream start, contributing to helping Man City leading the Premier League until November, before everything began to dislocate. Despite the injury, the Norwegian striker remained 30 goals and scored the first goal against Real Madrid. However, he was the first person to admit he needed to play better, like the whole collective.
And until Man City had the opportunity to close the season with a title, a Haaland decision has completely backfired. In the FA Cup final, when the home team was entitled to a penalty, Haaland – who was a desire to have the first goal in Wembley – refused to do it and let Omar Marmous. Results: Marroush shot, and Man City lost.
Haaland at that time was not in high form and used to have a lot of 11 meters, but the number 9 did not stand out in charge that made all of Wembley surprised.
“Erling Haaland is a world -class striker, but if it comes to Messi and Ronaldo, there is no life they give to others,” Wayne Rooney said on the BBC Sport.
“It is the difference between the two legends with Haaland or Mbappe. They are selfish and always want to score each game. When missing the opportunity, you can see it clearly affects Haaland.
Haaland did not want to live forever in the memory of last season, but in an interview with Time magazine, he admitted the mistake. If you don't feel regret when you've shouted at Arteta's face “modestly”, then with a penalty, he will do difference if possible.
“I shouldn't give it to a rookie,” Haaland said. “The whole responsibility belongs to me. I put Omar in that situation. I have a good hunch about him. But it is true that I must be the one.”
The fact that Haaland admits that he should have kicked that fruit could make Man City fans regret. However, it also shows that the more important thing that is often forgotten is that Haaland is still learning. Although he felt like he was “proficient” in scoring, there was still a lot of things to complete.
Coach Pep Guardiola once emphasized this when breaking his philosophy to bring Haaland into the team leadership group. That decision was not because Haaland was ready to be the captain, but because with the remaining 9 years in the new contract, Haaland “had to start learning how to become a leader”.
Man City not only wants Haaland to score more than next season, but also want him to be more mature on the field and in the backstage. Now, the “scoring machine” has better understand what they need to do. If Haaland can convert awareness into action, it will bring unmistakable benefits to the team.
